Harry Reid

Republican Senate hope Rand Paul announces that he won’t shake hands with Democratic Senate hopeful Jack Conway after their U.S. Senate debate at the University of Louisville on October 17. (Photo by Jamie Rhodes/Getty Images)

The excellent T.A. Frank reviews last night’s Reid-Angle debate and finds that the Senate Majority Leader has only a passing familiarity with English as it is spoken by his constituents. This is a chronic problem for Democrats, especially those who really care about the details of the legislation they are passing: they speak legislatese, …

What would an election season be without a few October surprises – or a lot? Illegal maids, audio tapes of staff slurring the opponent, old rape cases with questions about prosecution, photos of a young candidate cavorting with a dildo-nosed Rudolph – welcome to the final sprint of the 2010 midterm elections. And it’s only going to …

–The president will tap long-time economic adviser Austan Goolsbee to head the CEA. The pick augurs continuity with the approach of the past two years and Goolsbee, like the departing Christina Romer, is seen as somewhat of a counterweight to Larry Summers among the White House’s economic voices. Goolsbee, who has been advising …

Democrats have reacted to Tea Party-fueled Senate bids from the likes of Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, Ken Buck and now Joe Miller with a simple message: Republicans are “too extreme.” Uncertain if the anti-Bush mantra of recent cycles still resonates and disconcerted by a serious enthusiasm gap, Democrats have fixated on persuading voters …

–As Jay notes, Obama political arm Organizing for America is trying to take some credit for Bennet’s solid victory last night in Colorado. The message: Just because we couldn’t save Specter or clear the field for Lincoln and Bennet, the White House political operation is not ineffectual.